Falling in Love with Kise
by graveformydarling
Summary: ... or how you realised you have been boyfriends all along. [Aomine/Kise]
1. Prolog

Falling in love with Kise had been a quiet, slow and often exhausting process. Like someone sneaking up on a good friend from behind, covering his eyes with both hands and prompting him to guess who it was. As weird as it may sound - this is exactly what falling in love with Kise felt like. The weird sense that something was coming closer slowly, the moment of surprise when there were suddenly hands on your face, the confusion and the inability to pinpoint the hands and the voice and it is so close but you just cannot put a name on it. It had been all of that. Slowly coming up. A surprise attack. A lot of confusion. A name for it burning on your lips. Oh and the annoyance and anger afterwards. Aomine always hated that little prank.

Thinking back on it, it started earlier than Aomine would have ever thought. That is the part where you have the weird sense that someone was coming closer from behind. Maybe it started back in middle school. Or no - it definitely did. Maybe it started with a carelessly thrown basketball and him seeing a boy that was so weirdly void of any passion that Aomine could not comprehend how someone could go through their life without something as important to them as basketball. Shouldn't pretty people like that have figured it all out?  
Or maybe he should give it still a little bit more time. Maybe it started when they were already friends and playing in a team, when ›that model dude‹ already became Kise and when Kise started to bother him after every training for another one-on-one and they started to spend so much time together that it became almost like second nature that the blond would be always somewhere in his hemisphere. Just not as easily overlooked as Tetsu. Just not quite a comfortable shadow but someone who always demanded attention in some way.

It could have started in those lazy early summer afternoons where they lay with the balcony doors drawn wide open in Kise's room. Sun flooding every last corner of the already too bright room full of yellows and whites and pastel colours that nobody could get away with but Kise. The breeze made the curtains dance and no one bothered to shut the door. They would try to learn together for their exams because no matter how talented they may be at basketball, if they failed classes they could say goodbye to the team for now. Of course it was as effective as an elephant teaching a donkey how to fly but they had their best intentions (and Tetsu couldn't be bothered with them anymore and lost his patience somewhere along the way).  
Maybe that was the sneaking up part - Aomine lying in Kise's bed with the book on his face, peaking out under the rim of the cover, watching Kise sitting in the open balcony door, dressed in a pale blue pair of shorts and a mint far too big tank top. The sun was shining so bright Kise's hair reflected it like gold. There was a frown on his face, and a pencil between his lips. Even back then, for someone who doesn't usually notice such stuff, he was slightly annoyed by how damn beautiful Kise looked in summer. (And every other season really but summer suited him particularly well).

»Aominecchi!« Kise would whine after some time and get up from his position. The nickname still sounded completely ridiculous to him. Aomine would pretend to be asleep. »Aominecchi! I think we did enough, let's go and play basketball.« He would say and lift the book off of Aomine's face. And he wouldn't say anything about how lazy Aomine was or that he had been sleeping instead of learning and he would look down on him, and there was light and the breeze playing with Kise's hair and shirt and there was no way he would have been ever able to say no to anything Kise would ask in those moments. But he would never ask anything Aomine could not give him.

This is a slow process and it had been long coming - a ball against the head, popsicles after school, one-on-one matches after practice, Aominecchi here and there and everywhere, basketball being for a few precious moment as much fun as it never had been before until it turned dark, going out for teriyaki burgers, Kise standing in his classroom door and ignoring all the girls while talking to Aomine, Kise declaring that he liked to wear his uniform like Aominecchi did. The sneaking up part might have been their friendship. As simple as that and the bad feeling might have been Aomine not appreciating it more.

But where was the surprise, where to pinpoint that moment exactly. Where were hands suddenly covering your eyes and someone intruding out of nowhere where you have been before completely content just by yourself. When did that start?

- Kise had asked him and Satsuki to come with him because he wanted to get his ear pierced and he was too scared to do it alone. Satsuki was of course delighted and she was the obvious choice to make when it came to picking up the nicest accessories. With Aomine Kise insisted that he had such a calm, laid back nature that it soothed Kise's nerves - while Kuroko was too calm, Midorima couldn't be bothered and Murasakibara was too careless and Akashi just too serious and he wouldn't approve anyway - and that he needed to be with him here or Kise would chicken out. So they all went to the studio and Kise brought the right amount of drama with him and probably made the owner of the studio's day because his daughter was such a big fan (otherwise they would have been most certainly thrown out). But those are all not the important details, they are not, because there was this moment the jewellery options were put on display and Satsuki immediately opted for a classic silver ring but Kise kept on looking at him with expectation. Aomine didn't really care and he had his basketball with him and just waited for them to be done with this, but Kise pleaded and Satsuki started to glare at him.  
»I like the blue one.«, Kise blurted out, pointing at the blue ring. Dark shade. Not at all what Aomine would have expected. »I think it is the best.«, he continued. There was a moment there, where Aomine stared at the piercing and didn't even need to look at his shirt to know it has the exact same colour. He looked back at Kise and at big amber eyes. He didn't recognise it back then, that Kise probably tried to tell him something there. He had been so bored and hungry. So he just waved it of. »How the hell should I know. Looks fine to me.« For a few seconds more Kise looked like he wanted Aomine to say something more on that topic, but when he realised he wouldn't, he turned his gaze away in a weird, embarrassed way. But he chose the blue one and for the first days after it healed he wouldn't stop playing with it and Aomine wouldn't stop looking at the weird contrast between blond hair and the dark blue of the ring.

- »We will come too late to Kurokocchi's birthday, Aominecchi!«, Kise whined as they ran through the ice cold rain of a surprisingly mild and snowless late January. Currently they were making another stop under a bus station. The sky was nothing but grey and they both forgot to take an umbrella with them. Aomine hadn't been paying all that much mind to the weather, but Kise had been blabbering about snow coming soon and he knew because he was so thirsty and his grandma had always told him that when one feels thirsty, then snow would be arriving. Aomine called bullshit on that one, and bullshit it was because this pissing rain was nothing like snow, but just a wet misery that drenched them mercilessly. To be honest he didn't feel too bad in his coat, but Kise was shivering miserably beside him in his nice looking, but completely impractical jacket.  
»Not my fault.«, Aomine grumbled and tried to get his hands warm again. Maybe he should have just stayed in bed, but after all it was Tetsu's birthday.  
»Well, it isn't my fault!«  
»Why do you need it to be anybody's fault?«  
Kise didn't answer that and simply pouted. Aomine gave him five seconds to get it together again but then only rolled his eyes when Kise wouldn't stop. »Let's keep going, idiot.«  
»But I am so cold.«  
Aomine groaned, but then didn't hesitate to shrug out off his coat. - »What- what are you doing?!« - and as soon as he was finished he forced Kise out of his already wet jacket - »We swap and you stop complaining. Why are you always so annoying?« - Kise's half-assed reluctance was overcome all too easily by him and just a little later he was standing in Aomine's warm coat there, while Aomine just held onto Kise's jacket without putting it on. Maybe it was the cold, but most likely it was something else that made Kise's cheeks turn scarlet. »Better?«, Aomine asked and even pulled the zipper closed when Kise made no attempts to do it himself. The blond looked even good in his coat, with his hair sticking to his face and he could probably hardly see anymore - so Aomine took it in his hands now as well and brushed the errands strands out of his eyes. His fingers lingered a little bit in the other's hair. It was really soft, what shit does he put in there? Aomine started hesitating, looking at Kise. The other mumbled his name, question mark behind it - and Aomine stared a little. Something was different. His chest felt weird. How could Kise be cold, when he felt so hot and warm to the touch? - The moment was interrupted when Kise's phone started going off in the pocket of his jacket with some obnoxious pop tune and Aomine groaned, fumbling for the damn thing, hands weirdly bumping into Kise's as he reached out for it at the same time. They both apologised like idiots for it.  
For some reason Aomine couldn't stop thinking about that moment all through the party and even a few days afterwards and even months later it still popped up at the weirdest moments.

- »How are you doing this? I don't even understand!«, Kise moaned. In one hand he held his popsicle, with the other he was still dribbling the basketball.  
»Shouldn't you know, copy cat?«, Aomine replied disinterestedly, too occupied to keep his own popsicle from melting all over his hands and making his fingers sticky. Without even looking he caught the ball Kise threw at his head, lazily picking up where the other left off. The sound of the ball on the pavements echoed back in the street they were walking.  
»No matter how often I look, I just cannot seem to figure Aominecchi out.«  
»Hm?«, Aomine raised and eyebrow and looked to the right, he was not very perceptive, but even he had heard that this was sounding like Kise meant something else than Aomine's style of basketball. »I just do it. There is no technique. I play like I play.« That was just the simple truth and he kept the rest of his life just as simple. He played like he played and he was like he was. There was no bigger explanation behind that.  
»You are just the best.«, Kise answered easily, laughter back in his voice and it didn't even sound like the other is teasing him. Aomine blinked. Kise hadn't been admitting this so freely anymore, while at the beginning it had been nothing but endless annoying gushing over Aomine's basketball skills. But it had turned very quickly into just desperately wanting to beat Aomine. That probably would never happen but still.  
Sudden cursing maade him stop in his tracks and turn back. Kise had been apparently so preoccupied with his recaption of their last four matches, that he completely forgot about his popsicle. The syrup was dripping down over his arm and onto the pavement. Tinted red lips from the popsicle tried to lick and suck the melting mess away, but he was only half successful. There was only one thing he was being pretty damn successful with and that was looking totally obscene as he wrapped his lips around the popsicle, making soft moaning noises that probably were supposed to be frustration but could be something completely different as well. Aomine could feel his cheeks burn. Three days ago he got a girl to suck him off and it had been spectacular and very eye opening to a whole new world of realities. He had watched with fascination all the time. Fuck, he thought, what the fuck-

- Maybe it had been many little sparks of surprises, a cluster of surprises scattered all through. It was one thing to realise that you actually enjoyed the company of Kise, that you kinda liked his stupid jokes and antics and it was never boring when he was around and that playing basketball with him was mostly fun and in general that the moments where Kise got on his nerves were not so bad, at least not compared to the queer notion to have Kise not around at all. But it was a complete different thing to suddenly have those flashes were you wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch and make those touches linger- what was that - what to call that -

He knows exactly where the guess who games starts, all the different moments when he threw out names but none, not a single one was right but with every mistake he had been working himself towards the truth-

They all separated ways after middle school, after Aomine's world refocused and he learned what it was like to feel so passionate about something that it turns dark, and toxic, and allows you no joy anymore - the only one who can beat me is me - what a mantra. The only one I have is me, might have been the truer words. What had he called Kise then? Ex- team member or something like that. That had been wrong.  
But everyone were just ex-team members or people he didn't care about, trapped in a dark place where he didn't care about much anymore and most certainly not about basketball and even more certain than that was that he didn't care about Kise. Not in particular. But that might be even worse.

Then he called them strangers to each other but that didn't feel right, too, that wasn't right at all.

They played against each other and he called Kise his rival. And when Kise sat on the floor, unable to get up, something had stirred in his heart, something that wanted him to go to Kise and reach out to him, get his pathetic ass back up and not see him cry because Kise's crying face was the worst for him. But he didn't and that was wrong and then he wasn't even a rival for Aomine anymore, nothing but a looser. Aomine didn't recognise himself anymore back then. After that game he lay for a long time awake, balling his right to a fist and letting go again. Nothing changed really but other things changed. He made the wrong choice again and he was forced to stay blind.

But he was getting closer again after he lost the game against Seirin. When he snapped out of it, when things changed.  
He met Kise in the park by chance. The other just finished a shooting and he had still his hair done and make up on and wore the clothes he got as a present now that everything was wrapped. He looked ridiculous and too fancy and handsome at the same time.  
And it had been Kise giving him a hint then, when he saw Aomine and screamed through half the park his name, jogging after him, loosing his brown fedora on the run. They spent the next ten minutes trying to fish it out of the pond and it felt in that moment like nothing had changed. That there weren't months, nearly a year where they barely talked. There was Kise, laughing and drenched to the bones in designer clothes and Aomine complaining besides him, just as wet and with green stains all over his white shirt and the sun was shining that day, too. »Baka.«, Aomine grumbled and Kise laughed, way too loud and way too bright, in that stupid trained model way where he looked like those faces on the ads who are simply overjoyed about instant noodles or something. But it was good and there was still a blue ring gleaming in Kise's ear.  
They let themselves dry and talked, or more like Kise talked and Aomine gave just enough commentary to make this a conversation. They didn't so much else that day but Kise asked him if he wanted to meet up sometime soon, just like old days - play one-on-one and the looser treats the winner to some food (always Kise paying but he had that little extra cash thanks to his modelling job). - and to his own surprise Aomine found himself agreeing. He really wanted to.  
Friend is what comes into mind.

-But then there was the match against Fukuda Sōgō Academy and he punched Haizaki in the face and couldn't believe he could hold so much rage inside of him that could translate so violently. But that ass planned to hurt Kise and no one, no one ever was allowed to do that. No one was allowed to hurt Kise. Is this really what friends do?

And then there is the thing that you probably just don't do and swap the anonymous face of some babe with nice big tits with the face of your - very male - friend while you jerk off. And you shouldn't come so hard when you jerk off to the very flat chest of your friend and the very male face no matter how pretty and the voice and the hands and the ass and this is not what you call friend.

- Then there is playing street basketball with Kise in spring, just when it starts being warm enough to go out in shorts and a hoodie. Kise wasn't holding back and Aomine wasn't holding back and still they have never laughed so much and there was just so much fun in it - Kise copied him effortlessly, but he did it with an ease and an elegance that it became his own personal style and Aomine actually needed to put some effort in it to keep up. But that was good, and it wasn't so much about loosing or winning then, it was simply about playing again. There were times when Kise teased him, mischief in his eyes as he forced body contact, playfully trying to sneak his way past Aomine, but Aomine would still be always one step ahead. And that didn't matter as well, because Kise laughed when he lost the ball and next time try some ridiculous move that would fail spectacularly. They both had changed again.  
The game would turn less and less serious - they both still knew the outcome anyway at this point - until they were both just jostling for the ball - »C'mon, you idiot, it's my turn!« »I don't want to, Aominecchi!« - and Aomine doesn't remember how it happened that he had the other more in his arms, back pressed to his chest. Kise was the only one who could still manage to smell like a fresh day even after playing for nearly two hours and Kise grinned over his shoulder, cheeks tinted red with exertion - and Aomine wanted to kiss him - and -

He maybe did. And it may have been the best thing he did in a long time and it may have felt like the best decision he has ever made - but it didn't last long and he jerked back, gasping »Fuck.« and when Kise just stared at him, shock on his face and stammered out his name, Aomine said again »Fuck.«

This was an answer and it seemed kind of right, but that didn't mean he liked it at all.


	2. Intermezzo I

(Falling in Love with Aomine went for Kise something like this:

— It was at the beginning of the second year in middle school when Kise was walking over the school grounds, shortly after quitting the soccer club. Back then he still thought there would be no sport or any other activity that would keep his interest for long. He was the best too quickly and he found all those people incomprehensible, who were dedicating all their time to a sport, but didn't manage to beat someone who would only need a little while to copy and surpass them? Maybe the problem was that he couldn't copy their passion. The simple fun they have. Maybe he could never have that.

It was on that day that a basketball hit the back of his head and a weird ganguro guy came running for it, apologizing, but not looking like he was even remotely sorry.

Everyone knows this is the story when Kise fell in love with basketball. But, looking back, it might have been simply the same. Falling in love with basketball and falling in love with Aomine. At least it felt the same as he stood at the entrance to the gym, watching Aomine play. Kise's world got a new sun at that moment, a brand new bright centre and it started with a basketball and it started with Aomine dribbling and jumping and dunking that ball with such an elegance and enthusiasm he didn't possess for anything else.

That might have been the moment Kise fell in love with Aomine.

Doesn't mean he knows it.

— Kise wasn't in love with Aomine. Up to the moment when he very clearly was. There were even times when Kise didn't know if he even _liked_ Aomine very much. After all the other was not really _boyfriend material_. Not that Kise very often thought about what boyfriend material entailed exactly, but point standing, pressed to it, Aomine would be nothing he would have ever imagined.

Kise went out with _girls_. All of them were pretty, soft spoken, well mannered, laughed about his antics and blushed easily when he charmed them. Through and through they thought his presence was delightful and they were too shy to complain about anything really, much less the fact that between school, basketball and his model career there was not much time for them left. The funny part was that he was mostly the one breaking up with them. Fact standing was, _he liked girls_. Growing up with two sisters he was used to having girls around him and while other boys nearly tripped over themselves when they needed or wanted to talk to one, Kise had no problems at all.

Those girls were all nothing like Aomine.

In his own personal way Aomine is handsome. Kise knew, because there were even a lot of female admirers slipping letters into Aomine's locker, secretly. With some of them Aomine even went out for a few days or weeks, sadly the type of girl who liked a ganguro like that doesn't have as much patience with someone as obsessed by basketball and interested with nothing else as Kise's girls.

_But_ otherwise Aomine was rude, always annoyed, competitive, loud, never blushed because of anything, had a one track mind, insulted and made fun of Kise on a regular basis -

Those were all very annoying qualities and not very endearing. In theory. Despite all that - Kise spent a large amount of his free time with Aomine anyway. In school and during club activities they saw each other, they had the same friends and nearly every day they would play some more basketball until the sun went down when they both had time. And they had time very often. Kise would always insist and trail after Aomine until the other finally ended the little dance they would always perform - »Aominechi, please, play one-on-one with me!« »I don't want to today. Go away.« »Just one round! And when you win I pay for dinner, please!« »You are so annoying. Just leave me alone, Kise.« »Please, please, please~!« - because Aomine was unable to say simply _yes_ and Kise was unable to accept anything but.

He went along with all of Aomine's stupid ideas, not because he was too naive to know that they are stupid, but because it was simple _fun_. No matter how insane Aomine's plans were, no matter how many times they would get a lecture and punishment by their teachers or trainer, Kise went along because… he just couldn't _not_ do it. Days might have been filled with the sound of the wind - but now they were full of squeaking sport shoes, the sound of the ball bouncing back from the gym floor, the voices of all his teammates, their laughter, Aomine's laughter.

That time had been a good time.

— Many things didn't make sense between Aomine and him in middle school. The moment Kise would always hesitate before calling them _friends_ and when someone would ask he would call Aomine rather teammate, because this seemed to be at least always _true_. _Friend_ wasn't quite covering it. What they were. And when you are not even so sure most of the time if you are friends with someone, then how can you be sure if you are in love with someone?

— »No matter how often I look, I just cannot seem to figure Aominecchi out.«

»Hm?«

Kise tries to avoid looking at Aomine's profile in the setting sun. He doesn't even know why he said it out loud, but after nearly three years it was just a fact he needed to deal with. He cannot figure Aomine out. No matter how hard he tries. The other will always stay a mystery to him. He might be able to pinpoint everything that makes his style so unique and amazing and where Kise was still lacking and unable to cover that. He might be able to scrape over the basics of what makes Aomine _Aomine_, _but he will never be able to figure him out_. He won't know if there are friends and what will be coming after they all graduate. They spend so much time together and still Kise will never understand Aomine the way Kuroko or Momoi do.

For quite some time an old feeling had come creeping in again. He feels like he did in his first year again. It is not quite the same, but it's coming very close. It is again as if he doesn't know where he belongs.

»I just do it. There is no technique. I play like I play.«

Kise smiles, because of course this would be Aomine's answer. For a fleeting moment he wants to stop and dare to kick the basketball away, take that out of the picture and just ask Aomine. _What am I to you? What are we? Where are we going? Why do you sometimes look at me as if there was something you wanted to do nearly as much as play basketball, but you never ever dare to?_

But they have been both stupid boys back then.

— »Is your girlfriend texting you, Kise-kun?«

»My what?«, Kise look up from his mobile and turns his head even though he knows he technically shouldn't or there was a very real chance of messing up his make up and hair.

»You keep smiling down at your phone like that. Looks like you are texting with a cute girl that makes you very happy.«

Kise blushes violently and tries to stammer an answer. In truth he had been texting with Aomine since he knew when he would be finishing the shooting for today and it was early enough to still meet up afterwards. By now the whole conversation had turned into a ridiculous sticker and emoji war, mostly led by Kise and it was clear that he was winning. He hadn't even realized that he had been smiling all the time. How weird would it be now if he said that he was actually texting with his very male, not-cute teammate. Before he knows what else he could do, he says: »Yeah. Something like that…« He rolls that thought around his head a little bit longer, the little lie he told just now. Aomine. His girlfriend. Or no, of course, _boyfriend_. What a weird thought and still his heart was picking up with speed. His eyes flick to the blue ring lying secure on the make up table, currently he was just having a silver stud in, because the blue was too eye catching. His stylist raises an eyebrow, a knowing smile forming on her face. »Ah.«, she says like she has figured it all out. »Guessed as much.«

Kise would have really liked to ask her what she has figured out, because he feels like he doesn't know anything really, but he doesn't dare to ask. There is a word circling in his head and with fourteen it sounds still too scary to even utter out loud.

The shoot still lasts longer than he would have expected and he was running half an hour late. Kise tries his best to get his things together as fast as possible, tomorrow he will be here again anyway and he just grabs one of the make-up remover tissues on his way out, scrubbing it hurriedly over his face. When he comes out of the building, Aomine is sitting on the stairs in front of it, basketball between his legs and mobile in his hands. He turns around and gets up when Kise approaches.

»Oi! You are late!«, Aomine calls out and Kise all of a sudden feels very hot and very embarrassed. He remembers what a lie he had told his stylist - the very stylist who was leaving the building behind him and was not very subtly checking Aomine out, but Kise doesn't dare to look how her face looks and if she is grinning or frowning or shaking her head.

»You look ridiculous with all that junk in your hair.« Aomine is now close enough to reach out and ruffle through his hair, completely messing it up and with the left over product in it, it stays sticking out in weird angles now.

It was that day that he became hyper aware of what potential they had looking like for an outsider. He remembers all the times Aomine eats away half his lunch or they stand in the doors of the other's classroom or how Aomine always touches him so casually or how they always end up hanging out. Kise never saw _them_ like _that_. Kise never saw _Aomine_ like that. Some stuff starts making sense, and other stuff just turned more confusing.

Kise pushes Aomine's hand away.

— One year later Kise leaves the building where his latest shooting was held and no one is waiting for him. He should have been at practice, but he didn't go. He hears the sound of the leaves when he walks to the next convenience store and buys himself a popsicle, because he feels like it. He forgets all about it until he passes the streetball court, where they used to play and throws it in the next trashcan before walking home. He forgot about a lot of things in the last year of middle school.

— They have been all cruel to each other. They have been so cruel that they forgot that they had been friends. They separated so naturally and on most days Kise didn't even waste a thought on it. There seemed to be a big black, empty gap between middle school and high school.

But in a way there was nothing to miss, because they have all changed. The Aomine from now had nothing to do anymore with the Aomine who accidentally threw a ball against Kise's head, or the one whom he spent his afternoons with, or the one whom he played basketball with. But neither was he that Kise anymore. He wasn't in love.

— It was not only Aomine who needed to learn a lesson.

— Kise cries over a lot of things after he lost against Aomine. It is not simply the lost game. He wished it could have been so easy. Kise cries because he let go of something that may have set him free and live up to his true potential, but he needed to give up on something that had always been precious to him - he let go of late, warm summer evenings playing one-on-one with Aominecchi, he let go of what those evenings meant to him, he let go of and he lost the Aomine he created in his head - the idol, the one he admired, the one he never wanted to lose - and it didn't seem worth it, because Aomine was turning his back on him and nothing, nothing changed at all. He cried for Aomine. And he cried because of the lost game. And he cried a little for himself. He was not thirteen and full of wonder anymore.

— He hears that Aomine punched Haizaki. He heard that. But he didn't say anything, just kept smiling through the day though he knew the reason was horrible.

— Aomine kisses him on a warm day in spring. Kise hadn't been in love with Aomine. That's a lie, he realizes, that's a damn lie.)


	3. Part I

**A/N.: As you may have noticed - the style has changed. While the first two parts have been more of a prolog. Now the real story begins. Here you know have a lot of BrOTP Satsuki + Aomine - but I promise, Kise will be joining us soon again!**

* * *

It had been stupid to simply run from the court, so damn fucking stupid. But he just couldn't look at Kise, _he just couldn't stay_. Aomine had not been scared of many things in his life and he most certainly didn't feel ashamed because of anything, but he just couldn't face Kise. Only in the moment when he had been at least two blocks from the court, he realized that he forgot, of course, his stuff at the streetball court. There wasn't much in it. Just a water bottle, a different pair of trainers and a new t-shirt to change into afterwards. For some reason he had luckily forgotten about his wallet and mobile in the inner pocket of his hoodie. They hadn't been playing long enough that he felt the need to take it off, so he would still be able to come home.

»Fuck.«, he repeated again, leaning against the next wall, trying to catch his breath. He would have thought that Kise would come after him, but he didn't. Aomine groaned.

His heart was beating frantically in his chest. What was he supposed to do now? Look like a fucking idiot and turn around now to get his bag? No way he could do that. So he set off to walk around the block. By now the sun was setting and it was getting a little cooler. He strolled around aimlessly and thoughtlessly for about half an hour, before he decided that what he was doing now was even more moronic. It was already past the time he promised his parents to be back home and he needed his bag.

But when he went to the streetball court, his bag had been gone and with it Kise. As if on queue he feels how his mobile vibrated in his pocket with a text message.

_I have got your stuff, Aominecchi, don't worry. ( ´ _▽_ ` )_

He didn't know if he was glad or angry about that. He surely was irritated by the nonchalance of that text message (and that stupid smiley). As if nothing happened. But what else had he expected of that blond idiot?

It was already dark when he managed to get home. His parents were sitting in the living room in front of the TV, barely paying him attention when he announced that he was back. His mom merely told him that dinner was ready in the kitchen and he needed to heat it up in the microwave. He went with it to his room, glad that his parents let him have a lot of freedom all in all and wouldn't make a fuss. Tonight on TV was a NBA game that Aomine had wanted to watch and so he turned his TV on when he found a comfortable spot at his desk.

He didn't think about anything else.

He simply _refused_ to think about it.

It had been nothing more than a stupid impulse, something that had been crating on him. Good that he has done it now. No more wondering what it felt like to kiss Kise. This very short brush of lips against lips may not count, but it should be enough. He watched the game and ate the dinner his mom cocked. If he didn't want to he didn't even necessarily needed his bag back. Nothing important in there. He had over a dozen pair of trainers and enough clothes. Who cared. Who cared about Kise. Who cared about how soft his mouth tasted. Who cared about what it all ment. Not Aomine.

So Aomine did what every sensible person would do after accidentally kissing a guy who you were not even sure you can call your friend again - he _ignored_ it. And it turned out it was surprisingly easy to ignore it when you were not going to the same school and when you were not playing in the same basketball team and you were living in different prefectures. You could very easily live your life without ever needing to see Kise's face again. And Aomine was okay with that. He was even very fine with it.

Sometimes there would be moments during the day when he would remember _it_. There was really no trigger or at least Aomine hadn't figured it out so far, but suddenly - during practice (yeah, he started to show up to that again. _Sometimes_. Old habits die hard.), in class, sleeping on the roof, while doing his homework, under the shower - he couldn't control it. Suddenly he would remember it again - and with all the little details. How hot Kise had been pressed agains him, how nice his arms fit around the other, how the blond strands tickled his cheeks, the exact shade of amber his eyes reflected - all that annoying shit and of course the most important detail, however fleeting the moment might have been, how Kise's mouth felt against his. What he also remembered was the look of pure confusion on the other's face and no matter how much he tried to stop his head from going that place - yeah, maybe it had been more _shock_ than confusion and if he had just a little longer he might have seen disgust. It was kind of stupid. Aomine knew it. Despite them not talking to each other for a few months and their…relationship or whatever being pretty much…'_cancelled'_ for nearly a year, Aomine still _knew_ Kise. And Kise was just not the person who would ever be disgusted by anyone else. But he knew _how_ Kise can looked when something was putting him off (and Aomine had been using the knowledge to his own amusement to rile the other up) and he had apparently enough imagination to see it directed towards him. And that sucked, so he tried to push it away as far as possible.

He searched for distraction and mostly he found it by just taking a nap or shooting a few hoops.

»I heard Dai-chan met up with Ki-chan a few days ago to play with him again!« Aomine nearly choked on his last bite in the burger, but managed to mask it by taking a sip from his coke. What was with this woman and just knowing everything he did? Can he even take a shit without her knowing? Probably not. He merely grunted as an answer and hoped it discouraged her enough.

»You don't have anything to say to that?«, she asked, kicking him under the table, of course totally accidentally judging by the way she blinked at him innocently when he glared at her. He slouched a little bit deeper in his chair and averted his gaze again, looking out of the window of the burger bar where people passed by in a constant cluster. At least he could appear as if he didn't care what she was saying at the moment. She couldn't possibly know what exactly happened and still he felt weirdly pushed into a corner.

»What am I supposed to say to that?«, he grumbled and kept eating his burger. Satsuki sighed in that typical exasperated ways of her, before stealing another fry from his plate. He hadn't said anything about it before, but now he slapped her hand away. »Get your own! I don't care if you think you are getting fat!«

»I don't want to, you rude idiot!«, she complained as she pinched the skin on the back of his hand between her cruel, far too sharp fingernails, twisting until he started cursing and giving up. With a far to happy and sweet smile she took another fry and even had the nerves to dip it into the sauce that had been dripping from his burger. Most of the time he really didn't know why he was even putting up with her at all. He knew that she would probably ask the exactly same. In the end they both always staid close to each other.

»I am really glad. I hope we can all become friends again.«, Satsuki sighed after a while as if nothing happened. She wasn't quite ready to drop the topic yet. Cute that she thought that meeting up _once_ for a little game of street basketball already led to them all being friends again. He wasn't sure there even is an _again_ here. He was not sure if he even _wanted_ to be any kind of friends with them. They had sworn to be rivals. Their time in middle school felt like another life.

»Hm, I don't know about friends…«

Satsuki simply rolled her eyes again and stuffed another fry in her mouth. She had of course only ordered a milkshake and had been sipping on that occasionally (however that was supposed to taste in combination with the fries.) »Always so stupid.« Suddenly her eyes lit up and she grabbed for her bag. »But this reminds me! I wanted to show you for some time, but always forgot. I found some old pictures of all of us. And then you can go again all ›_I don't know about friends._‹« He didn't know what he found more annoying - the weird imitation of his voice or that she called him stupid again. It took some time until she found something in the endless arsenal of her bag, her expression growing more and more frustrated until she finally pulled something out with a relieved »Ah, there!«

There were four different photos and it actually piked his interest a little bit at least. (»What is that?« »Just look at them!«) He took them from her. The first three were shots that hadn't been taken while anyone took real notice of the camera. Kise had been always carrying a camera with him. Aomine thought that was really stupid, but maybe it had something to do with being a model. After all Kise maintained a little Instagram with daily updated candids and selfies. Not that Aomine was checking on that, but Satsuki was giggling too often over her phone and her size was just right to look over her shoulder and see what it was all about.

The first one was of them eating lunch on the roof of their school. Aomine couldn't remember when this one was taken, but even though Tetsu is the main focus of the photo - curious how that worked, Aomine had always expected the other to disappear for a camera lens just like a vampire - he could see Midorima in the other corner, concentrating on his bento and there were him and Kise visible in the background. For some reason he had been jabbing Kise with his chop sticks and the other looked furious and annoyed, holding his own chop sticks up like a sword ready to defend.

The next one showed them in the gym, standing together while Akashi gave them probably some kind of instruction. All of them with varying expressions of concentration on their face.

The third one, there at least he knew when it had been taken - when they were in training camp in summer. In the evening they went to the little village together to eat something and afterwards bought popsicles in the only supermarket and went to the beach. All of them are visible. Tetsu, Akashi, Murasakibara, Midorima, Satsuki, Kise and him. Sitting on the beach. Laughing over something. He didn't even know who took the picture. What drew his notice is that here again Kise and him are sitting next to each other. Kise was ever so casually leaning against him and hiding his face while he laughed in his shoulder. It was a weird display of familiarity between them that Aomine felt uncomfortable looking at it.

»This one is my favorite!«, Satsuki exclaimed when he switched to the last one.

»It's from the summer festival?« It was again the whole team. The whole Generation of Miracles. All of them grinning brightly in the camera. And again the blond is right next to Aomine. He didn't really know what more to say.

»Yes, exactly! Do you still remember? We entered the stamp rally and I teamed up with Tetsu-kun and you with Ki-chan. It was a lot of fun but none of us won!« She sighed in deep regret, before a sly smile formed on her lips and he already knew that whatever would come out of her mouth now will be again something to rile him up. No matter how innocent that woman liked to act in front of others, she could be such a monster. »Did you know what the rumor has been about back then?«

Aomine didn't even know if he wanted to ask. Before he kept staring too long at the pictures, he handed them back to Satsuki who carefully put them back in her bag. »What rumor?«

»There had been a rumor going around concerning the rally. Have you noticed that you were maybe the only boy/boy team who entered?«

Aomine stared at her and really wanted to remind her that she was always the one saying that Aomine was so stupid that he even forgot what he had for dinner yesterday. How was he supposed to know? He tried to remember it, but already two years have passed since that festival. What he remembered was that the price was a pair of LeBron James trainers and that there were stupid traps and riddles. What he also remembered was that yeah, Kise complained about something like that. Saying something about this being depressing that they entered with each other. »Ha…so what? Just spit out what you want to say, Satsuki.«

»The rumor said…« Of course she couldn't skip the dramatic pause. »That the boy and girl who entered as a team and won the rally would be a very happy couple for a long time!«

Aomine looked at her incredulously with a raised eyebrow. »So…?«

»Uh, Dai-chan, you are so dense sometimes.« Satsuki shook her head. »If you and Ki-chan had won, and you would have if there weren't me and Tetsu-kun (»Both of us didn't win, Satsuki.«) - then that would have meant that you would have become a _happy couple_!« She giggled in that obnoxious way where she thought of herself as completely hilarious while Aomine could do nothing but stare and shake his head. In any different circumstances, he would have just shrugged it off and came up with something very smart (or, more likely, rude) to shut her up and dismiss this whole thing. He was not one of the guys who would feel completely threatened in their manliness and splutter some stupid excuse just by the suggestion Satsuki was making. He wanted those shoes and Kise was the best partner for him. But nonetheless he could feel the heat coming into his cheeks. Situations like this were the ones where it was impossible to ignore what happened a few days ago. Aomine tried to hide his embarrassment as best as he could by finishing the last of his burger and looking out of the window again, but he should have known that Satsuki wouldn't just let it slide.

»Oh my-! Dai-chan is blushing! It's hard to see but you are!«, Satsuki nearly squealed in schadenfreude fueled delight as she reached across the table to poke him against his cheek with one perfectly manicured finger as if she needed to pinpoint the red exactly. »What does that mean? Would you have liked to be a happy, happy couple with Ki-chan?«

»Shut up!«, Aomine barked, more aggressive than he originally intended, but it was enough for Satsuki to sit down on her ass again and turn her nasty grin a notch down into a soft, but knowing smile.

»Hm. I really thought that if you would have won it, you two might have figured something out.« She sounded now way too serious as she fell into a position, she usually reserved for the times she scrutinized and analyzed a new opponent.

»What is that even supposed to mean?« Aomine really would like to change the topic. He hated when she looked at him like this, as if she figured him all out and he was just too stupid to get it yet. It was true most of the time, didn't mean he had to like it. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, playing with his cup. The view outside of the window is still by far more interesting than looking at Satsuki's smug face. He could be doing better things with his time know. Taking a good and long nap after this dinner and afterwards getting out and tossing the ball around.

»I have a woman's intuition! I just thought that Dai-chan always liked Ki-chan a lot and Ki-chan liked Dai-chan a lot. That is all. The rest you have to figure out by yourself.«, she singsonged, far too pleased with herself. Aomine frowned and didn't say anything on that topic anymore. This is all too stupid for him now. He had liked Kise. Sure. But not in the way she was suggesting now. And why was she even bringing it up at this time? Sometimes Satsuki could be far too annoying.

»Are you pouting now?«, she asked after they have been sitting in silence for some time. She had been contently drinking the last of her milkshake and claimed the last french fries for herself.

»How did you even find out that I met Kise?«, he suddenly asked, ready to change the subject and the question had been burning on his mind. He hadn't told her for a very good reason - he knew that she would be getting her hopes up again. Aomine knew her too well and he knew that it had been hard for her to just give everyone up like that after middle school. She would have liked to continue being with everyone, just like back in the days, but it hadn't been possible and Aomine couldn't see it happening now.

»You know I text with Ki-chan!«

_Of course_ she would text with Kise. She and Kise had always been getting along very well. She insisted he was the only boy a girl could really talk to and that was one of the reasons why Kise was so popular, not only his good looks and his modeling career. Both of them were truly straining. He has been dragged along to more than one shopping trip with the both of them - Satsuki enjoyed far too much to get the opinion on her outfits from a boy with a sense of style and Kise, used to it because of his sisters, happily went along. Both of them had enjoyed far too much shoving him into new clothes as well, but he started going along with it after that one cute girl with the big tits from his class complimented him on his outfit when they met per chance in town and even agreed to go on a date. That aside - Kise knew how Satsuki loved to be treated like a princess and they both were truly annoying and ridiculous together. He should have known that they would be staying in touch.

Now his stomach drops a little bit. Aomine cannot imagine that Kise would have said anything to her…but he couldn't be sure and just the possibility was horrifying!

»Did he say something?« Aomine tried to sound as casual as possible, but he was a bad actor and Satsuki latched on it immediately again.

»He just said, that he met Dai-chan at the weekend and you played one-on-one like you used to. And that he still couldn't beat you, but at least now it was only a small difference between you anymore.« Satsuki fished her phone out of the pocket of her jacket, apparently she checked again on the conversation she had been having with Kise. Aomine relaxed considerably. Satsuki surely would have immediately kicked his door in if she knew that…something else happened. »I did ask him how it went with you in particular and if you were behaving like an idiot still….thinking about it…his answer had been weird… ›He was nice.‹, he texted. No emojis. Just that…_what did you do_?!« Satsuki suddenly exploded in his face, Aomine nearly jumped back in his chair, raising his hands in defense. »If you have been mean again and teasing Ki-chan-! What did you say? Why is it so hard for you to simply be nice again! You can be rivals but you can also be friends and he had been looking forward to it so much!«

»Stop it, Satsuki! Shut up! People are already looking! I haven't done anything- I-« Aomine simply thought it would be the best idea to follow his first instinct and kiss Kise in the middle of the basketball court, where anyone could have seen them and completely out of the blue. No biggie and all. But he couldn't even tell Satsuki that. Not even her. Though he was sure that she would find it out sooner or later…and what then? Why was this so complicated and how did they even get in their conversation to this?

»You did something! I know that stupid, ugly face of yours! That is the ›I am hiding something from you, Satsuki‹ face and I do not like it a single bit! You wouldn't have asked if he said something otherwise! _Dai-chan_!«

Aomine groaned and got up from his seat, grabbing for his school bag and the basketball he placed next to his bag. »Shut up, you are so loud.«, he mumbled and just to make a point put his little finger in his ear. Hurriedly the pink haired girl grabbed for her own stuff, shouldering it all and needing to sprint a little to catch up to him again as he was already leaving the burger bar. As soon as she was behind him again, she grabbed for the hem of his jacket to keep him from getting away from her. »Dai-chan, tell me what you did, immediately!«

»Shut up!«, he repeated and drew out every syllable. He didn't want to talk to her or with anybody about it. He didn't even want to think about it if he was quite honest. He just wanted to forget completely about it. It had been just something he did in the spur of the moment and it had been stupid. Yeah, he might have been wondering about. How it would be. Now he knew and he could be done with that stupid curiosity. It wasn't even worth this little bit of stress.

»You stupid ganguro! I will ask Ki-chan!«, she cried and kept jerking on his jacket. Angry he turned around, ready to say something horrible that will just make her even more angry, when they were suddenly interrupted by some dude coming out of the burger bar as well.

»Is there a problem, sweetheart, is he bothering you?«, the dude asked. Must be their own age and he was also wearing a Touou school uniform, but Aomine hadn't seen him before. But Aomine didn't pay attention to other people. What Aomine knew was that this punk had been stealing glances to their table for a while, checking out Satsuki. This was pretty normal when they were out together, after all Satsuki was, he guessed, pretty? At least for guys who go for that type of girl? Not that he really knew, it was like thinking of your sister as sexy or pretty - and that's just wrong.

Immediately Satsuki slinked a little bit behind Aomine's back. Irritation replaced with insecurity and was that even a little fear? Who the fuck was that dude?

»Uhm, no, everything's fine, Matsushita-kun.« So Satsuki knew that dude. But didn't seem to like him all that much. Immediately Aomine straightened his shoulders, using now his full height to shield Satsuki from that ass and just show him that Aomine is at least half a head taller than him.

»Doesn't look like it, Momoi-san. You can say it.«

»Piss off, what is she supposed to say? She'd been fine before you have shown your face!« Aomine took a menacing step forward, fists buried in the pockets of his trousers but ready get them out.

Matsushita seemed to consider his option. Man, there were just too many annoying guys who thought they could bother Satsuki. She was in love with Tetsu, he guessed, and if she'd be interested she'd clearly tell Aomine to fuck off. It was so annoying how much they bothered him as well, because they thought Aomine had some kind of say about who Satsuki was seeing. As if he was her boyfriend. What a stupid thought. But he just couldn't stand how they are preying on him, trying to use the first chance to hit on her. Thankfully, this time around, the guy simply nodded and left. Smart choice of him really.

»Your scary ganguro face is at least good for that.«, Satsuki said after a while, but there was no insult behind it, just the need to lighten the mood a little again. She still kept clinging to his arm as they made their way home. She had to deal with this kind of shit every day and he let her have the small comfort.

Lucky for him this little interruption distracted Satsuki so much, that she didn't come back to the topic of Kise. He rather asked who that guy was and Satsuki explained it to him - just some guy in the same year as them but in a different class, who had been bothering her for some weeks now. After a few minutes this turned in one of her typical rants and before he knew he needed to listen to her telling him about some of her girlfriends and how they were together with one of that Matsushita guy's friends. He let it wash over him and was glad that he avoided the talk for now.

But he was sure Satsuki wouldn't completely forget it so easily.

* * *

* The scene with protective!Aomine and Satsuki and their friendship had been inspired by this comic: post/83056076583/istehlurvz-i-bet-momoi-gets-harassed-a-lot-and

* The summer festival that is here mentioned is the one from the Kuroko no Basuke Drama Theater 2nd Games - here you can read the transcript: post/39672817536/translation-kuroko-no-basuke-drama-theater-2nd-games and on youtube you can easily find it if you want to listen to their dorky voices :)

**PS.: I don't know if I should continue with Aomine's POV or if I should rather switch between Aomine and Kise. Any thoughts? ^^**


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